Apparatus for introducing inserts in tubular braided articles

ABSTRACT

A length of tubular braid having an insert in its interior to provide a locally enlarged portion in the braid. The enlargement may be used as a centering device, as in a shoelace, or as a gripping means, as in a rope.

United States Patent References Cited [72] Inventor TrumanW.Powell S .m W m N u E m T u A m P u n S mnum m m m m m .n aw m mmm s m w mu wSJBH H 1578 N2236 U9999 NH 9059 5698 562 0 590 9570 35 1123 6 W 2 E r a m m 9 m m H m m .M o Z 1 3 M 5 9 e O l na l o w vmfl 1 i @m wmn PooMD F l 10 I PM m a AF P 1] I. I2 5 22 4 [l l Primary Examiner-.lohn Petrakes AItorney-lmirie, Smiley, Snyder & Butrum [54] APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING INSERTS IN TUBULAR BRAIDED ARTICLES 5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: A length of tubular braid havin interior to provide a local] enl g an insert in its Int. D04c 3/40 y enlarged portion in the braid. The

[50] Field 87/5-8, argement may be used as a centering device, as in a 28-30, 33 shoelace, or as a gripping means, as in a rope.

PATENTED FEB23 I97! 3; 564', 966

sum 1 0F 2 FIG. 5

INVENTOR TRUMAN w. POWELL BY v [@Ml i, I

ATTORNEYS PATENTEnFaszslsn 4 I 85641966 sum 2 OF 2 I INVENTOR TRUMAN W. POWELL BY [mule ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING INSERTS IN TUBULAR BRAIDED ARTICLES CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a division of application Ser. No. 716,039, filed Mar. 26, I968 now U.S. Letter Pat. 3,486,499, issued Dec. 30, 1969.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to braided articles of the round or tubular type and is concerned in particular with such articles provided with inserts disposed within the hollow interior of the braid for the purposes of providing a locally enlarged portion in the article. The enlarged portion of the article may serve various purposes for example, a round braided shoelace having an insert provided immediate its ends allowing for easy centering of the shoelace in the associated shoe structure and also lending a pleasing aesthetic appearance. As another example, a round braided rope provided with inserts at longitudinally spaced points along the length of the rope conveniently provide hand grip portions whereby the rope is made more efficient for climbing purposes.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an attachment for round braiding machines whereby inserts of the type described hereinabove are presented to the machine automatically to be incorporated in the round braided article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a shoe having a shoelace constructed in accord with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view on enlarged scale showing the central portion of the shoelace shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the central portion of the braided article in section to illustrate the disposition of the insert therewithin;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is transverse section similar to that of FIG. 4 but illustrating a modification of the braided article in the form of a rope according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view illustrating use of the rope shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating the attachment for braiding machine to apply the insert of this invention to braided articles;

FIG. 8 is a further elevational view of the assembly looking from left to right at FIG. 7; and,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the insert strip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring first to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, an attachment assembly 10 is associated with an overhead arrangement 12, the latter being conventional in tubular braiding machines. As is well known in the braiding art, the individual yarns 14, which are braided together to form a tubular braided article 16, are carried by bobbin assemblies 18, which, in turn, are carried by flanges or horns of a train of gears disposed between the top and bottom plates of the braiding machine. The top plate is formed with a serpentine path which guides the bobbin carriers, all as is conventional and well known in the art. The overhead arrangement 12 may take any suitable conventional form and any conventional form of takeup arrangement for the finished braid 16 may also be provided.

The attachment assembly 10 comprises a main body portion 20 having mounting flange portions 22 whereby the at tachment may be secured in fixed position immediately below the overhead 12. The main body portion is provided with a vertical channel 24 receiving a tape 26 which issues from the upper end thereof to pass over a pair of idler rollers 28 and 30, whereupon the tape then issues downwardly to pass between driven pinch rolls 34, 36 to waste. Tape 26 issues from a suitable supply roll, not shown, and in the course of progressing through the vertical channel 24 in the main body portion 20 is subjected to a die punching operation to provide the individual insert portions thereof which are incorporated into the hollow interior of the braided article 16.

For this purpose as can be seen in FIG. 7, the main body portion 20 is provided with a guide recess 38 which receives a shoe 40 normally urged by springs 42 so that its outer face 46 is flush with the surface defining the vertical channel 24 containing the tape 26. A cutting die 48 is guided in the main body portion and is provided with an actuating arm or lever 50 suitably attached thereto by a pivot 52 and also mounted by a pivot 54 on ears 56 of the main body portion 20 for intermittent operation of the die to stamp or press insert elements 60 from the tape 26. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 9, the insert element 60 are principally shaped to define a transversely large main body portion 62 having tapered opposite end portions 64 and 66 terminating in longitudinally extending tongues 68 and 70.

The drive rollers 34 and 36 are driven in synchronization with the braiding machine, the drive to the rollers 34 and 36, and to the actuatingarm $0 of the die 48 being intermittent. The sequence of operation is such that while the tape 26 is stopped, a die punching operation is effected which stamps an insert 60 from the tape 26 which is then returned to the opening 72 in the body of the tape (FIG. 9) by the shoe 40 whereafter the tape is advanced so that in passing over the idler roller 28, the insert 60 is stripped therefrom and is directed to the area of convergence of the yarns 14 so that its longitudinally extending tongue portion 68, as shown in FIG. 8, is gripped by the accumulating yarns and is thereafter automatically pulled into the center of the tubular braid l6 and the braiding continues around the insert 60.

As a result of the embedding of the insert, the braided article 16 is provided with a localized enlarged portion 80, FIG. 2, caused by the presence of the insert disposed within the tubular or round braid. Such an article may be cut to convenient lengths with the locally enlarged portion centrally disposed therealong and provided at its opposite ends with suitable tips 82, as shown in FIG. 1, to provide a shoe lace which, by virtue of the centrally located enlarged portion 80, is automatically centered as is shown in FIG. 1. Since the insert 60 is of a strip or flat shape, it lends a pleasing appearance to the shoe lace and also may be of such width as will not pass through the adjacent eyelets 86 whereby the shoe lace must always remain in properly centric relation to the shoe. The enlarged portion 80 may be decorated or have a given name inscribed thereon.

A modified form of the article is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in which instance, the article 90 is a rope provided at longitudinally spaced points therealong with enlarged regions 92, which provide convenient handgrips to aid in climbing as is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this case, the inserts 96, as shown in FIG. 5, may be of cylindrical configuration, having tapered opposite end portions and longitudinally extending tongues in a fashion generally similar to the insert 60 described hereinabove.

It will be appreciated that the insert will ordinarily be relatively flexible and may be made of suitable synthetic resinous material or the like whereas it will also be appreciated that the braided article being made of yarns being selected as desired giving the requisite strength, stiffness and the like as may be necessary or desirable for the particular article being made.

lclaim:

1. An attachment for use in combination with a machine for continuously producing tubular, braided articles, in which said machine includes an overhead for receiving continuous threads or the like, the improvement in which said attachment comprises:

a member having a guide channel therethrough for receiving a complementally sectioned continuous web from which insert elements are to be formed and in which sections are of such length that they will lead into the tubular braid being formed at said overhead;

said member including an intermediate passage intersecting said guide channel;

insert element removing means reciprocably supported in said intermediate passage for periodically striking an insert element from the web; and

means on said member for engaging said web and drawing it through the guide channel after the insert elements have been struck.

2. The attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for engaging and removing said web comprises guide means at the exit of said guide channel whereby the insert element is engaged by the overhead and the web is drawn laterally away from said guide channel.

3. The The attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insert element removing means comprises a die-and-shoe assembly reciprocably supported in said intermediate passage.

4, The attachment as claimed in claim 3, including spring means in said intermediate passage in engagement with said die-and-shoe assembly and normally urging said assembly to an oriented position relative to said guide channel, and force transmitting means operatively connected to said assembly for periodically moving the assembly transversely relative to said guide channel and in opposition to said spring means.

5. An attachment for machines for producing tubular braids and including an overhead for gathering threads and issuing a tubular braid therefrom, which comprises:

a guide assembly for leading a strip ofvmaterial toward said overhead and then directing the strip of material away from said overhead to waste, said assembly including means for cutting inserts from the strip of material, which inserts are projected to said overhead and incorporated in the hollow interior of the tubular braid being formed therein, roller means on said attachment for changing the direction of the strip as inserts are removed therefrom, said guide assembly comprising a main body portion providing a channel receiving the strip and having a recess in one side of the channel, a shoe guided with the recess, spring means urging said shoe into flush engagement with a wall of the channel, and die means opposite the shoe for cutting inserts from said strip which inserts are returned to the body of the strip by said shoe. 

1. An attachment for use in combination with a machine for continuously producing tubular, braided articles, in which said machine includes an overhead for receiving continuous threads or the like, the improvement in which said attachment comprises: a member having a guide channel therethrough for receiving a complementally sectioned continuous web from which insert elements are to be formed and in which sections are of such length that they will lead into the tubular braid being formed at said overhead; said member including an intermediate passage intersecting said guide channel; insert element removing means reciprocably supported in said intermediate passage for periodically striking an insert element from the web; and means on said member for engaging said web and drawing it through the guide channel after the insert elements have been struck.
 2. The attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for engaging and removing said web comprises guide means at the exit of said guide channel whereby the insert element is engaged by the overhead and the web is drawn laterally away from said guide channel.
 3. The The attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insert element removing means comprises a die-and-shoe assembly reciprocably supported in said intermediate passage.
 4. The attachment as claimed in claim 3, including spring means in said intermediate passage in engagement with said die-and-shoe assembly and normally urging said assembly to an oriented position relative to said guide channel, and force transmitting means operatively connected to said assembly for periodically moving the assembly transversely relative to said guide channel and in opposition to said spring means.
 5. An attachment for machines for producing tubular braids and including an overhead for gathering threads and issuing a tubular braid therefrom, which comprises: a guide assembly for leading a strip of material toward said overhead and then directing the strip of material away from said overhead to waste, said assembly including means for cutting inserts from the strip of material, which inserts are projected to said overhead and incorporated in the hollow interior of the tubular braid being formed therein, roller means on said attachment for changing the direction of the strip as inserts are removed therefrom, said guide assembly comprising a main body portion providing a channel receiving the strip and having a recess in one side of the channel, a shoe guided with the recess, spring means urging said shoe into flush engagement with a wall of the channel, and die means opposite the shoe for cutting inserts from said strip which inserts are returned to the body of the strip by said shoe. 